Johnstone was Walsall’s fifth and final goalkeeper of the 2012/13 season as Dean Smith’s side narrowly missed out on the play-offs despite a similarly late surge to the one Villa are now experiencing.

And Johnstone, whose appetite to improve on the training ground has been noted at all of his clubs, made a lasting impression on goalkeeping coach and club legend Mick Kearns during a seven-game stint with the Saddlers.

“Sam was always a goalkeeper I thought needed a chance,” Kearns told us. “The problem is when you are at a huge club like Manchester United, you don’t always get that chance and going out on loan gives you an opportunity to show what you can do.

“If he’s at Manchester United, he’s showing something. He had good all-round ability.

“If there was one thing he needed to work on it was his communication. He could be a little bit quiet in games.

“He was only going to get that through experience. One of the reasons for that is that he was playing in games where there wouldn’t be a very big crowd.”

Mick Kearns

Johnstone enjoyed a difficult start to life at Villa Park and, like Steve Bruce’s six other January recruits, didn’t taste victory in claret and blue until late February when a nervy 1-0 win over Derby County ended Villa’s wretched winter run.

Since then it has been plain sailing for Johnstone, who has kept seven clean sheets in nine matches as Villa have hauled themselves onto the fringes of the Championship’s play-off picture.

Johnstone’s efforts have seen Bruce contact Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho in a bid to iron out a deal which would prolong the custodian’s stay at B6 - but Premier League vultures Everton and Bournemouth continue to lurk.

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Kearns added: “I think he’s a Premier League goalkeeper. Of that I’ve got no doubt.

“But he needs experience and he’s getting good experience at Aston Villa and he’s playing in a side which will give him confidence because they are winning matches.

“It doesn’t surprise me that Villa want to sign him because he is that good.”

Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, David De Gea and Kieran O'Hara during a Manchester United training session

Johnstone, 19 at the time of joining, kept three clean sheets in seven matches with Walsall and was on the losing side just once.

The likes of Liverpool hero Bruce Grobbelaar have created a culture of extravagant, confident goalkeepers but while Johnstone is never lacking in self-belief, his understated approach is highly praised by those who have worked with him during his short career.

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“He was a quiet lad and worked very, very hard at all of his goalkeeping sessions,” Kearns added. “Sometimes the goalkeepers are a little more extrovert, but that is not a necessity because, at the end of the day, keeping the ball out the back of the net is the most important thing.”